Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Written by: Dan

We left Thailand late, out of Phuket.  Our flight took off at about 1am, and landed in Malaysia sometime after 2.  By the time we got to bed it was near 5.  We only had a few hours sleep before our meetings in the morning.  After the meetings the weather reflected our mood - so we stayed in to catch up on rest.

The following day was our first time to get out and see Kuala Lumpur.  It didn't take long to realize this is not like other countries in Asia.  For starters, it is a Muslim country.  The women dress is traditional Islamic clothing.   Also the writing looks more like sand script than Mandarin.  All together, it has a more middle eastern feel than Asian.  However, any Malay will tell you that is not the case.  The slogan on commercials, buses, and billboards through Asia reads "Malaysia: Truly Asia."  I've spend over a month in Asia now,  I'm not sure this is the case. 

Malaysia also seems to lack the cultural draw other areas of Asia had.  The Major tourist attractions include the Bantu caves (too far outside of town for us to visit), and The Petronas Twin Towers.   The towers are the largest twin towers in the world, and from '98 to '04 they were the tallest buildings in the world.  The Towers also highlight the other thing to do in Kuala Lumpur: shop.  The area around the Towers (KLCC) is covered with mall after mall after mall.  Mostly high end shopping.  You may be able to walk all day without leaving a mall.

View from my hotel room of the Kuala Lumpur Skyline.  That is the Petronas Twin Towers in the distance.

Kuala Lumpur, like many other Asian cities, is a must for doing business.  They have a booming economy.  Oil, Finance, and Trade fuel the growth of this city.  As far as a destination for travel, I wouldn't recommend it.  The food isn't great.  The sites are not a huge draw.  The country is only 50 some years old, so they don't have much of a history to speak of.  Also, while there is plenty of shopping; the stores are the same as in the US, and don't carry much of a discount over home either.  My opinion may be skewed by a short stay, lack of sleep, and bad weather.  But I doubt I'm very far off base.   I wouldn't be surprised if I come back one day.  But I would bet it is on business.